Over the next three-plus weeks, teams across Major League Baseball will be perusing the waiver wire, searching for that one piece that could possibly be a fit for them—either for the short or long term.
The waiver trade period has been known to produce some compelling deals in recent history, with Adam Dunn, Jose Bautista, Derrek Lee, Jeff Conine and Larry Walker all involved in August deals that benefited the receiving teams.
At times, waiver deals can also be rewarding for selling teams as well. It certainly was in the case of the Atlanta Braves, who received young prospect pitcher John Smoltz from the Detroit Tigers for Doyle Alexander in August, 1987.
During the month, the vast majority of players are actually placed on waivers for a variety of reasons. Here are the most compelling players from each team who could be involved in a potential deal over the next 23 days.
Read More: MLB Trade Rumors: Every Team's Player Who Could Be Traded in Waiver Deals | Bleacher Report
Ubaldo Jimenez finally showed the kind of command the Cleveland Indians want to see.
Jimenez struck out a season-high 10 for his first win in more than a month and the Indians beat Boston 5-3 on Thursday night, handing the Red Sox their seventh loss in nine games.
The performance came too late, however, to save the job of pitching coach Scott Radinsky, who had worked with the talented but erratic right-hander all season. Radinsky was fired by the Indians earlier in the day.
"A great job by Ubaldo," manager Manny Acta said. "That was probably his best command of the fastball. He was just dotting it on both sides."
Jimenez (9-11) allowed three runs over six innings as Cleveland won its second straight after losing 11 in a row. He had been 0-4 with an 8.41 ERA in five starts since beating Tampa Bay on July 7.
"This was the best for me," Jimenez said. "I threw the breaking ball for strikes as well as the fastball."
Jason Donald hit a leadoff homer off Felix Doubront (10-6) and drove in two runs for the Indians, who took a 4-3 lead with a three-run fifth.
Read More: MLB Recap - Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Indians - Aug 09, 2012 - CBSSports-com
Brian Bogusevic's RBI single in the ninth inning lifted the Houston Astros to a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.
It was the first win this season for Houston in its last at-bat and breaks a five-game losing streak. It was Houston's first walk-off win since last Sept. 26, according to STATS LLC.
The Astros won for the fifth time in 39 games. The only team since 1900 to lose at least 35 times in a 39-game span was the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, who finished 36-117 under Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack, according to STATS.
Wilton Lopez (4-1) struck out two in a perfect ninth inning for the win.
The Brewers have lost 10 straight on the road for the first time since 1992.
Ivan Nova snapped a five-start winless streak, Casey McGehee hit a three-run home run, and the New York Yankees won their fourth straight game Saturday, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2.
Derek Jeter had two hits, boosting his AL-leading total to 150 and joining Hank Aaron as the only players to record 17 straight seasons with at least 150 hits.
Rajai Davis had two hits and scored twice but it wasn't enough as slumping Toronto lost its fifth straight and for the 11th time in 13 games.
Nova (11-6) allowed two runs and five hits in 7 2⁄3 innings. He walked one and struck out 10. Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his 28th save in 30 chances.
Read More: MLB roundup: Yankees get fourth straight win
The New York Mets breathed a sigh of relief after holding off a ninth-inning rally from Atlanta to beat the Braves 6-5 on Sunday (Monday, PHL time), ending a string of defeats to their divisional rivals.
New York starter Jonathon Niese pitched the home team to a 6-1 lead with a strong eight-inning outing but his good work was almost undone by the bullpen in a nervous final inning.
The Mets used three relievers and gave up four walks, resulting in two runs and a hit batsmen before Jon Rauch came on to get the final out with a pair of runners in scoring position.
"It was tough. I can't sugarcoat that by any means," Niese told reporters of watching his teammates nearly blow his ninth win of the season.
"But they got the job done, and that's all that matters. I think we're going to enjoy this win and then go after the [Cincinnati Reds in the next series]."
The victory ended New York's (55-60) seven-game losing streak to the Braves and allowed them to avoid being swept in the finale of the three-game series.
Despite the loss, Atlanta (66-48) remain 4 1/2 games behind first-place Washington in the National League East division.
Ike Davis had two hits and two RBIs while David Wright went 2-for-4 with two runs scored to lead the Mets offense.
Read More: MLB: Mets survive late scare to beat Braves | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere
Two teams right in the thick of the playoff races in the National League will hit the field in Pittsburgh on Monday night as the Pirates begin a four-game series at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers. L.A. is a -125 series favorite at Bovada.
Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 20% Free Bet bonus up to $100.
The Pirates are starting to fade in the NL Central race as the Cincinnati Reds pull away, but they're still in the hunt for one of the Senior Circuit's two Wild Cards berths. That has them at 9/1 on the Bovada odds to win the NL Pennant, and at 28/1 to win the World Series.
The Dodgers are battling the San Francisco Giants for top spot in the NL West division standings, and they're a contender for a National League Wild Card berth as well. Los Angeles is at 5/1 on the NL Pennant odds and at 14/1 on Bovada's World Series lines.
For Monday's series opener the Dodgers are scheduled to send right-hander Aaron Harang to the mound, with the Pirates countering with right-hander Jeff Karstens in the contest.
Harang is 7-7 on the season with a 3.80 ERA, but MLB bettors have watched the Dodgers go just 3-7 over his last 10 trips to the mound. Harang, however, has allowed three or fewer earned runs in eight of his last 10 starts.
The Pirates counter with Karstens on Monday, and he's coming off a no-decision against the Diamondbacks in which he gave up three runs on eight hits in six innings of work. Karstens has pitched the Pirates to victories in six of his last 10 trips to the mound.
For Monday's game the Pirates are listed at -125 on the moneyline at Bovada, with the Dodgers the +105 road underdogs. The OVER/UNDER for the contest sits at 8 runs.
Los Angeles is expected to send Chad Billingsley (8-9, 3.94 ERA) to the hill for Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh's Kevin Correia (9-6, 4.49 ERA), with the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw (10-6, 2.88 ERA) and the Pirates' Wandy Rodriguez (7-11, 3.91 ERA) in line to start on Wednesday, and Thursday's starters still to be announced.
Two of the National League's top teams will send two of the National League's top pitchers to the mound on Tuesday night as the Washington Nationals continue their three-game road series against the San Francisco Giants. There will be live play-by-play betting at Bovada for the game.
Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 20% Free Bet bonus up to $100.
Jordan Zimmermann is scheduled to get the ball for Washington on Tuesday, and he's 9-6 on the season with a 2.35 ERA after blanking the Astros on three hits over six innings of work in his last trip to the mound. The right-hander has fanned 110 and walked just 25.
Zimmermann has managed to pitch the Nationals to victories in each of his last six trips to the mound, and he's 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA through his five career starts against the Giants.
The Giants counter with Madison Bumgarner on Tuesday night, and he's 12-7 on the year with a 3.08 ERA and 144 strikeouts (with 31 walks) in his 154 2-3 innings of work.
The left-hander got tagged with a loss in St. Louis in his most recent outing despite giving up only three runs on three hits (with seven strikeouts) in his six innings pitched. In his career against the Nationals, Bumgarner sits at 1-2 over three starts with a 4.00 ERA.
The Nationals still hold a comfortable lead on the Atlanta Braves in the NL East division standings, and they entered the week as the 7/2 favorite on the odds to win the NL Pennant at Bovada. Washington also held down 17/2 odds to claim the World Series.
The Giants are still trying to fend off the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West division race, and they headed into their set against the Nationals at 5/1 odds to win the NL Pennant and at 12/1 odds to win the World Series.
First pitch for Tuesday's game is set for 10:15 pm ET in San Francisco, with the teams then closing out the series at 3:45pm ET on Wednesday. Washington's Stephen Strasburg (13-5, 2.90 ERA) is set to take on the Giants' Tim Lincecum (6-12, 5.35 ERA) on Wednesday.
The New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers will continue their four-game series at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, with those two teams sitting 1-2 atop the current odds to win the World Series at Bovada.
Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 20% Free Bet bonus up to $100.
The Yankees lead the way this week at 5/1 on the odds to win the World Series, with the Rangers just behind them on that list at 11/2. The Detroit Tigers are next at 8/1 odds, with the first National League team on the chart the Washington Nationals at 17/2 odds.
The Yankees are also at 11/4 to win the AL Pennant, with the Rangers pegged at 3/1.
New York will send Freddy Garcia to the mound for Wednesday's start, and he's coming off back-to-back wins over the Blue Jays and Mariners in which he allowed just four runs on 10 hits over 11 innings of work. That boosted the right-hander to 6-5 on the season, and he sports a 4.85 ERA while pitching the Yankees to wins in six of his last 10 outings. Garcia has made 22 starts against Texas, going 8-5 with a 4.10 ERA in those contests.
Scott Feldman counters for the Rangers on Wednesday, and he had his four-game winning streak snapped in his last start when he surrendered four runs on six hits over 5 2-3 innings of work against the Tigers. That has him at 6-7 on the year with a 4.64 ERA. The right-hander is 3-2 over his seven career appearances against the Yankees with a 4.85 ERA, and overall Texas has managed to get the win in six of his 10 most recent outings.
Game time for Wednesday's Texas/New York matchup is set for 7:05 p.m. ET, with the two teams then playing their series finale in a 1:05 .p.m ET matinee on Thursday. Texas' Derek Holland (7-6, 4.92 ERA) is set to face New York's Ivan Nova (11-6, 4.70 ERA) that day.
He craving to achieve greatness and financial security in their sport is so powerful, several Major League Baseball executives said Thursday, they have difficulty faulting players for trying to gain an edge with the illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs. n the wake of San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera's 50-game suspension for using testosterone, and BALCO co-founder Victor Conte's assertion perhaps 50% of major leaguers might be doping, the question is: How many — and which — ballplayers are using?
One American League manager, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, said it would not surprise him if he learned seven or eight of his players were using performance-enhancing drugs.
Read More: Some in MLB say cheating tough to resist
The New York Yankees are well ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the American League East division standings, but they're still carrying a two-game losing streak against their rival into the start of their three-game home series on Friday night.
Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 20% Free Bet bonus up to $100.
The Yankees and Red Sox last met in a three-game set at the end of July in the Bronx, and while New York won the first game of that series by a 10-3 score Boston managed to win 8-6 and 3-2 over the next two contests.
That has the Red Sox carrying the small winning streak against the Yankees into Friday's game, which is set to get underway for MLB bettors at Bovada at 7:05 p.m. ET. Overall, however, the Yankees are sitting at 6-3 against the Red Sox so far this season. The Yanks are -175 series favorites for this one on Bovada.
And while New York is cruising to a playoff berth in the American League and riding high on the World Series futures at Bovada, Boston finds itself battling with the Toronto Blue Jays to avoid their division's basement – and they're sixth in the league's Wild Card standings.
That doesn't mean it's impossible for the Red Sox to rebound and still make the playoffs in the AL, but anyone who put money down on Boston to win the pennant or the World Series earlier in 2012 is going to need to see their club go on a torrid streak over the next month.
New York's Phil Hughes (11-10, 4.44 ERA) and Boston's Franklin Morales (3-3, 3.29 ERA) are in line to start the series opener on Friday. Right-hander Hughes beat the Red Sox in his July 27 outing, holding them to three runs on five hits over his seven innings of work.
The Yankees/Red Sox series continues on Saturday with a 4:05 p.m. ET contest, while the two clubs will close out their set on Sunday Night Baseball with an 8:05 p.m. ET matchup. All three games of the series will have live play-by-play betting at the book.
If you can’t beat him, ask him to join you. Major League Baseball, duped by doping guru Victor Conte for decades, should bring this guy in to play for the good team. Conte, the infamous founder of the BALCO laboratory and expert in the world of cheating with testosterone, says he is reformed after serving time in prison.
Conte spoke out after Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants was busted and suspended 5o games. It’s still easy to cheat, Conte said. Half the players in baseball do it, he said. Cabrera got caught, well, because he is not the sharpest needle, Conte said.
Think he is full of BALCO baloney? Conte is probably closer to the truth than any of us would like to admit. So baseball commissioner Bud Selig should bring Conte to the fight against steroids. It’s a fight that Conte is willing to join, as he has done in the Olympics.
The best way to find the rats might be to hire one.
Read More: Saturday morning sports brew: MLB should hire the rat Conte | Campus Commuter
Hanley Ramirez says he's feeling comfortable at the plate.
The new Dodgers star is showing it on this road trip.
Ramirez drove in four runs with two homers, including the first of three straight shots by Los Angeles in the second inning Saturday night during a 6-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.
Ramirez, who was acquired in a trade with Miami on July 25, is hitting .447 (17 for 38) with three homers and 14 RBI through nine games of the Dodgers' 10-game road trip.
"I've been telling you guys that I've been feeling good at the plate," Ramirez said. "I've been seeing the ball great I think and I've been swinging at strikes. I think that's the key."
A crowd of 42,219 attended Major League Baseball's sixth Civil Rights Game. Commissioner Bud Selig sat with Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier for players, and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who broke the color barrier for managers.
Ramirez, James Loney and Luis Cruz hit consecutive homers in a span of four pitches from Ben Sheets. Ramirez added a three-run homer in the sixth.
Read More: MLB Recap - Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves - Aug 18, 2012 - CBSSports-com
The Department of Justice and Major League Baseball have begun a joint investigation seeking the source of San Francisco Giants All-Star outfielder Melky Cabrera's synthetic testosterone, according to an official with direct knowledge of the case.
The official, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because of the case's sensitivity, said the investigation would include Jeff Novitzky, a criminal investigative agent for the Food and Drug Administration who was the lead investigator in the BALCO scandal that brought to light the performance-enhancing drug use of star athletes.
"All of a sudden, it's a whole new ballgame," Victor Conte, the co-founder of BALCO, told USA TODAY Sports. "You're going to see a whole lot of players roll. My prediction — based on experience — is you're going to see a whole lot more players cooperate with Novitzky than they would MLB's investigators.
Read More: MLB, DOJ join forces to find source of Melky Cabrera's PEDs
As they continue to battle for first place in the National League West the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers will open a key series on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, with the hosts as -160 favorites on Bovada's MLB odds.
Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 20% Free Bet bonus up to $100.
With just over a month left in the MLB regular season the Giants and Dodgers continue to jockey for position atop the NL West, with both teams still listed as top contenders on the odds to win the NL Pennant. Heading into Sunday's action the Dodgers were listed at 4/1 on those pennant odds, with the Giants at 6/1. The Nationals led the way at 3/1 odds.
The last time the rivals met, however, the Dodgers came away with a sweep of a three-game series – and in San Francisco, no less. Los Angeles won those three contests in late July by a combined score of 19-3, with Clayton Kershaw pitching a shutout in the finale.
And Kershaw will be back on the mound against the Giants on Monday, as he's Los Angeles' scheduled starter for the opener of the series. The left-hander is 11-6 on the season with a 2.90 ERA, striking out 165 batters and walking 42 over his 170 2-3 innings of work.
Kershaw fanned seven and gave up five hits in his shutout win over the Giants on July 29, and he also took a hard-luck loss against them on June 26 (two runs over six innings of work). Overall the Dodgers are 7-3 over Kershaw's last 10 trips to the mound.
The Giants' probable pitcher for Monday is Madison Bumgarner, who sits at 13-7 with a 2.97 ERA but has yet to face the Dodgers so far this season. The left-hander has pitched his team to a victory on the MLB odds at Bovada in six of his 10 most recent starts.
Tuesday's projected starters are Tim Lincecum (6-13, 5.45 ERA) for the Giants and Joe Blanton (8-11, 4.96 ERA) for the Dodgers, while Matt Cain (12-5, 2.90 ERA) is set to pitch for San Francisco on Thursday against Los Angeles' Chris Capuano (11-8, 3.14 ERA).
Overall the Dodgers hold the edge at 5-4 against the Giants through nine games this year. For Monday San Francisco the +140 underdog. The OVER/UNDER is pegged at just 6 runs. There is live play-by-play betting at the book.
The Boston Red Sox have slipped out of the playoff race in the American League, and the Los Angeles Angels could join them in that situation if they can't pick up the pace this week. Those clubs meet for a three-game series at Fenway Park starting on Tuesday, with Boston a -125 series favorite at Bovada.
Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 20% Free Bet bonus up to $100.
The Angels lost their fourth game in a row on Sunday afternoon, getting hammered by the bats of the Tampa Bay Rays in an 8-3 loss. That gave Tampa Bay the sweep in Los Angeles in the four-game set, with the Angels' pitching staff giving up 37 runs in those four games.
Ervin Santana was the Angels starter who avoided that Tampa Bay set, and with Monday an off-day for the club he'll return to the mound on Tuesday to pitch against the Red Sox in the series opener at Fenway.
The right-hander dominated the Indians in his most recent trip to the mound – the Angels' last win – on August 15, allowing just one run on four hits over his seven innings of work. That has Santana sitting at just 6-10 on the season with an ERA of 5.59, but Los Angeles has managed to pick up the win in each of his last four trips to the mound.
Jered Weaver (15-3, 2.74 ERA) and C.J. Wilson (9-9, 3.62 ERA) are scheduled to pitch on Wednesday and Thursday for the Angels against the Red Sox; they were both knocked around by the Rays on the weekend.
Los Angeles finds itself in fifth place in the AL's Wild Card race heading into Tuesday's game thanks to their recent skid, just ahead of a sixth-place Boston team that can't manage to get back over the .500 mark on the year; the BoSox's playoff chances are on life support.
This will be the first meeting of the season between the Angels and Red Sox – they'll play again next week in a three-game set in Los Angeles. Overall the Angels are just 3-7 over their past 10 games against the Red Sox, with the OVER/UNDER 4-4-2 in those contests.
The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox will hit the diamond in the Windy City on Wednesday as those two American League division leaders close out their three-game set. Chicago is a -135 favorite at Bovada to complete the three-game sweep.
Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 50% Free Bet Bonus up to $250.
The White Sox will send Chris Sale to the mound for Wednesday's game, with the lefthander looking to bounce back from just his fourth loss in 21 starts this season. Sale gave up four runs on nine hits over 6 2-3 innings of work against the Royals last time out.
That dropped his record to 14-4 on the season, and he owns a solid ERA of 2.72 to go along with 137 strikeouts (and just 35 walks) over 145 1-3 innings of work. Sale has earned a win in six of his last eight starts, and he hasn't allowed a run over his 3 1-3 innings of work against the Yankees so far in his career.
The Yankees will counter with Phil Hughes in the series finale on Wednesday, with the right-hander now 12-10 on the season with a 4.23 ERA after holding the Red Sox to four runs (none earned) over seven innings of work in a victory in his most recent outing.
That put an end to a two-game losing skid for Hughes, and New York has managed to pick up the win in six of his last 10 trips to the mound. In his career against the White Sox (32 innings) Hughes has a 3-1 record with a sparkling 1.13 ERA; he beat them at home on July 1, surrendering just two runs on six hits over his eight innings of work in that matchup.
On the updated World Series futures at Bovada heading into Tuesday's contests the Yankees were listed as the 5/1 title favorites, with the White Sox back at 15/1 odds. New York is also the 5/2 favorite to claim the AL Pennant, with Chicago at 15/2 on that list.
First pitch for Wednesday's game is set for 8:10 p.m. ET, with the Yankees then getting Thursday off before playing in Cleveland on Friday night. The White Sox also have an off-day on Thursday, and they return to action at home against Seattle this weekend.
The Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland A's both remain in the thick of the hunt for Wild Card berths in the American League this season, and those clubs will hit the diamond down in Florida on Thursday night to open a three-game series. Tampa Bay is a -225 favorite on the series line.
Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 50% Free Bet Bonus up to $250.
Both the Rays and A's are still hanging around in the races for their respective division titles, but right now they have a better shot of making the playoffs as Wild Card teams; Tampa Bay and Oakland are currently battling Baltimore and Detroit for those two spots, with the Los Angeles Angels in the picture as well.
Tampa Bay and Oakland have played dead-even so far this season, with each team beating the other three times through their first six matchups of 2012. Totals bettors on the MLB lines at Bovada saw the OVER/UNDER go 4-1-1 in those half-dozen games.
And the Rays pitcher who was on the mound for that one UNDER result (on August 1) is scheduled to get the start for them again on Thursday night – right-hander Alex Cobb.
Cobb surrendered just one run on four hits over his seven innings of work against the A's in that August 1 outing, striking out six batters and walking just one. Tampa Bay is 4-0 over his last four mound trips, and he's now 7-8 on the year with a 4.74 ERA in 16 starts.
Bartolo Colon was in line to start for the A's on Thursday, but he was handed a 50-game suspension by MLB on Wednesday for elevated testosterone levels. Instead, Oakland will turn to right-hander Tyson Ross, who is 2-8 with a 6.35 ERA on the season.
First pitch for Thursday's opener is set for 7:10 p.m. ET, with the teams then meeting at the same time on Friday night before wrapping up the series with a 1:10 .p.m ET matinee on Saturday; the Republican National Convention then takes over the Tampa Bay area starting Sunday.
The Cincinnati Reds are running away and hiding in the NL Central standings, and they'll try to push one of their division rivals even further behind them this weekend as they play host to the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game series that starts on Friday night. Cincy is a -130 series favorite at Bovada.
Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 50% Free Bet Bonus up to $250.
The Reds are now comfortably ahead of both the Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central standings thanks to some hot play over the past two weeks, and on the MLB futures at Bovada they're now up to 7/2 on the odds to win the NL Pennant this season.
That has the Reds behind only the 5/2 Washington Nationals on that list, while the 9/1 Cardinals – who are still in the hunt for an NL Wild Card berth – remain behind the Dodgers (4/1), Braves (6/1), and Giants (6/1) on the pennant futures as well.
The Cardinals can at least help their cause in that Wild Card chase this weekend with a series win over the Reds, but Cincinnati heads into Friday's opener on a four-game winning streak against St. Louis. Overall the Reds are 5-4 against the Cardinals so far in 2012, with the OVER/UNDER going 2-6-1 in those games for totals bettors at Bovada.
Friday's pitching matchup has the Reds' Mat Latos (10-3, 3.56 ERA) going up against the Cardinals' Lance Lynn (13-5, 3.73 ERA). Right-hander Latos last faced the Cards on July 13, allowing two runs on four hits over five innings of work in a no-decision in that contest.
Right-hander Lynn has yet to face the Reds this season; he allowed three runs on four hits in his 4 1-3 innings pitched against the Pirates in a no-decision in his most recent outing.
On Saturday the probable pitchers are Cincinnati's Mike Leake (5-8, 4.59 ERA) and St. Louis' Jaime Garcia (3-4, 4.00 ERA), while the Reds' Homer Bailey (10-8, 4.11 ERA) and the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright (12-10, 3.65 ERA) are in line to start in Sunday's finale.
The Boston Red Sox have traded starting pitcher Josh Beckett, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and left fielder Carl Crawford to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deal that could reshape both clubs, the Major League Baseball teams said on Saturday (Sunday, PHL time).
Along with their three highest-salaried players, the Red Sox sent infielder Nick Punto and cash considerations to the Dodgers.
In return, Boston will receive first baseman James Loney and four prospects - second baseman Ivan De Jesus, pitcher Allen Webster and two players to be named later.
The deal is expected to bolster the Dodgers' playoff hopes while giving the Red Sox flexibility in the years to come.
"I think we recognize that we are not who we want to be right now," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington, whose team entered Saturday at 60-66 and 13.5 games out of first place in the American League East, told MLB-com.
"We needed to make more than cosmetic changes. ....To build that we need ... required more of a bold move to give us an opportunity to really reshape the roster, reshape the team."
The move will save the Red Sox approximately $270 million in salary with Boston sending Los Angeles about $12 million in cash, MLB-com said.
The Boston Globe called the swap "arguably, the most historically significant trade the Sox have made since selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees (in 1919).
"That trade changed the franchise for the worse. This deal offers the opportunity for the Red Sox to remake a team that has been in steady decline since the 2007 World Series title," the newspaper said on its website.
Read More: MLB: Red Sox trade Beckett, Gonzalez and Crawford to LA | Sports | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere
With a well-placed ground ball up the middle, James Loney showed he can fit in at Fenway Park -- just like Chavez Ravine. Loney hit a tying single in his Boston debut, Jacoby Ellsbury drove in the go-ahead run an inning later and the revamped Red Sox bounced back from a nine-player trade and a 12-inning loss to beat the Kansas City Royals 8-6 on Sunday.
"I'm glad I'm here. It's one of the best atmospheres in baseball," Loney said after getting his first AL hit in his first game following the deal that brought him to Boston. "It felt good getting that opportunity, having a chance to deliver. I just want to keep that up."
A day after he was the only major leaguer coming to Boston in a deal that sent Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Nick Punto and more than $250 million in salary to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Loney went 1 for 5. Pedro Ciriaco had three hits, scored twice and drove in two runs for the Red Sox, who won for just the fourth time in 12 games.
Loney also made a nice pickup at first base on a short-hop throw from third baseman Ciriaco, but grounded into a rally-ending double play in the bottom half.
Read More: MLB: New-look Sox win | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME
The waiver trade period has been known to produce some compelling deals in recent history, with Adam Dunn, Jose Bautista, Derrek Lee, Jeff Conine and Larry Walker all involved in August deals that benefited the receiving teams.
At times, waiver deals can also be rewarding for selling teams as well. It certainly was in the case of the Atlanta Braves, who received young prospect pitcher John Smoltz from the Detroit Tigers for Doyle Alexander in August, 1987.
During the month, the vast majority of players are actually placed on waivers for a variety of reasons. Here are the most compelling players from each team who could be involved in a potential deal over the next 23 days.
Read More: MLB Trade Rumors: Every Team's Player Who Could Be Traded in Waiver Deals | Bleacher Report